Oven Roasted Chicken Recipes

It may be almost sacrilegious to say at this time of the year, but a turkey is not right for everyone. While the big bird (sorry Sesame Street fans) parked on your dinner table, roasted to perfection looks great, if you're having an intimate gathering it can just be too much.

A beautifully roasted chicken is a completely reasonable option, and I've shared one today that uses a sumptuous combination of Medjool dates, date syrup, date molasses and green olives. If you follow the instructions carefully, your chicken will turn out moist and succulent, and more important, won't have you pining for what Benjamin Franklin suggested as our national bird. You can thank my citizenship test prep for that reference!

This year, we've been fortunate that the gophers and squirrels haven't made off with our fruits and veggies. All our trees have produced prolific crops of fruit, but the plum trees really stand out. We were able to gather large baskets of Santa Rosa plums, Red Raven plums and pluots.

I made a coffee cake with some of the plums and used the rest in this roast chicken dish. The acidity of the plums is an effective tenderizer for the meat, and the sweetness provides contrast. In the past I've used other fruits such as Asian pears and the plums worked wonderfully as well. I also added whole peeled plums at the end of the cooking as a garnish and as a reminder of the flavors that permeate the chicken and as the garnish.

I butterflied a whole chicken and placed it in a roasting pan on a bed of celery stalks so the chicken didn't burn and remains moist. I basted the meat several times; this extra step really makes a difference in ensuring that the final product is moist and delicious. Yum!

Roasting chicken is one of the best ways to showcase the poultry and enhance its flavor. It doesn't require too much skill; really, it’s just about a willingness to get your hands dirty. To ensure a tender and moist result, you’ll need to massage the marinade under and all over the skin of the meat.

The flavorings for the marinade are up to you. All that matters is the inclusion of the tenderizing ingredients to ensure the meat is succulent. Over the years, I've come up with a great combination for a successful roasted chicken, which consists of softened butter or/and olive oil, baking powder, green papaya paste and an acidic ingredient such as lemon, lime (or any citrus) or vinegar. For the remaining ingredients, I chose, garlic, freshly grated ginger, mint, coriander and honey. I also prepared a lime coconut sauce to pair with the chicken. And it was delicious!

The first time I tasted lingonberries was during a trip to England. As a child, I traveled a lot to Great Britain and stayed with host families so I could improve my English. There would usually be another international student staying with the host family. One time, I stayed with a Swedish girl. It's been so long I can't remember what her name was, but I do remember that she introduced me to many new flavors. Typically, the students would bring a present that represented his or her culture and country. I would usually bring either chocolates, wine or Champagne. But this Swedish girl brought lingonberry preserves that were delicious. Lingonberries are Scandinavian berries with a flavor reminiscent of cranberries but slightly less tart and sweeter. And like cranberries, I think the preserves go especially well with white meat. If you're preparing your Christmas menu, this lingonberry roasted chicken could be a festive and tasty option for your main course. I roasted a whole chicken, adding the preserves to the marinade and glazed the chicken at the end so the skin turned sweet and crispy.

There's a giant IKEA store near where we live. I sometimes wander in the food area and buy Swedish root beer, delicious sparkling pear drink, Swedish meatballs and of course lingonberry preserves. If you don’t have an IKEA nearby, you can always buy lingonberry preserves online.

Today's giveaway is the Caramelini Gift Box of salted caramels from Das Foods. The flavors are unique: Chili Pecan, Orange Honey and Ginger Pistachio (my personal favorite), just to name a few. I grew up with far more traditional fleur de sel caramels from France, so it was very nice to see such a creative take on a classic treat from my childhood. As an added bonus, the packaging is so lovely that they also make a wonderful gift. For your chance to win these caramels, just enter on the 25 Days of Giveaways page.

The strong flavor of kumquat takes roasted chicken to another level. I marinated the chicken with kumquats and finished the dish by brushing the poultry with a kumquat glaze. The final product was tender and tasty with a crunchy skin.

I served the chicken as one of the dishes for our buffet-style dinner party. We had about 15 people at the house, so I roasted 3 whole chickens. I carved the chickens and placed them in a chafing dish with the chicken drippings at the bottom of the dish to prevent the chicken from drying out or burning. There were literally only a few wings left, so I think it worked out pretty well. Our tree is absolutely bursting with kumquats, so if you're a fan of the diminutive citrus, stay tuned, because I'll be posting many more recipes in the near future.